Alton man found guilty on two murder charges

EDWARDSVILLE — An Alton man was found guilty by a jury late Tuesday of murdering two people during a card game in an Alton housing complex, resulting in a mandatory life sentence in prison.

After deliberation, a jury found Vincent Gordon, 35, of Alton guilty on all counts — two counts of first-degree murder, a count of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and escape.

“He shot two people in a home with a mother and her four children inside. He has shown absolutely now remorse whatsoever. It was over a silly, little argument. He is the very definition of a cold-blooded murderer,” Assistant State’s Attorney Lauren Heischmidt told the jury.

Gordon, who represented himself at trial, told detectives several different stories as officers revealed they had hard evidence he was lying, according to the recording.

He was in a card game with three other people in the 3100 block of Lawn Street, within the public housing complex. A minor argument broke out, and Gordon fatally shot Derrick Vaughn, 28, and Elijah Ingram, 30, in the aftermath.

One victim tried to leave but was shot in the back; another tried to stop the shooting but took a bullet to the face, Assistant State’s Attorney Crystal Uhe told the jury in her opening statement.

“For no reason at all, he pulled a 9mm handgun and sprayed six shots across the kitchen,” Uhe said during her opening statement. Because there were two victims, Gordon will receive a mandatory life sentence.

Heischmidt pointed out in her closing argument that two people gave detailed descriptions of Gordon.

She pointed out that one witness in the Alton Acres apartment described the scar over his eye, a gold tooth and a distinctive design of a plaid shirt.

She said the two witnesses did not hesitate, did not change their stories and gave answers consistent with each other and with hard evidence. On witness saw the shooting and another saw Gordon leaving after the shots were fired, Heischmidt said.

She pointed out that Gordon lied several times in talking to police. He, at first said he was not even at the residence, then, when confronted with evidence, changed his store and admitted he was there but never got out of the car he was driving, then admitted he was there but adamantly denied he did the shooting.

“After he shot two people, he drove up to Godfrey like nothing happened,” Heischmidt said.

The prosecutor presented a timeline on a screen that was produced from a GPS system in the car Gordon was driving. The electronic evidence put him in Alton Acres at the time of the shooting and at other points that contradict Gordon’s version of events.

Gordon presented a timeline of his own. He claimed he was not at Alton Acres, even though he admitted to police he was there. He attempted to argue several allegations for which there was not evidence during testimony. The judge sustained the objections and repeatedly told Gordon he must stick to the facts as presented in the trial.

He told the jury that he could prove his innocence if the court would allow him to present evidence that was excluded. He attempted to talk about his family.

Heischmidt, in her rebuttal, pointed out that Gordon made inconsistent statements, even in his closing argument. “One minute, he’s here; one minute he’s not there,” she said. She said Gordon made too much of the fact that the resident took called her uncle first and waited a few minutes before calling police.

“Is he going to blame her? He shot two people with her baby in the house,” Heischmidt said.

Gordon was on parole when the shooting occurred but cut a Department of Corrections ankle bracelet off.